I'm not saying generating new ideas isn't hard. It is.
It takes diligent gathering of multiple sources of evidence & inspiration (both internal & external), and the ability to embrace ambiguity, suspend disbelief and being ok with failed thought experiments.
(And yes, Post-its, alongside a carefully planned and intentionally facilitated collaborative workshop or two (haywire brainstorms won't help here)).
It's just generating ideas is not as hard, relative to what actually seems to determine the real world success of an innovation: understanding (mapping) and then navigating (finding the Leverage Points) of the Innovation Ecosystem in which the idea must take root for it to flourish and succeed.
Great idea, poor execution?
Strategy spot-on, follow-through inconsistent?
Initial traction, ROI too slow for the business to "accept"?
Sound familiar? These are systemic issues, not idea issues. And I know it's far too easy for those in "strategy" to blame those in "execution" for not making their brilliant ideas succeed. But that in itself is a systemic issue. Why not consider Strategy & Execution as part of the same system from the outset rather than as silo-ed pillars that hand-off to differently incentivised posts? Why not temporarily forget functions and job-titles, stages & gates, assumption based projections of an unknowable future - and instead invest time in understanding the intricacies and complexities of the existing system?
Context is indeed king. And to beat the system, you have to understand the system.